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Gillard urges party to improve platform

The Prime Minister has used the opening of the 2011 Labor Party conference to appeal to delegates to change the party's platform and modernise. While Julia Gillard's address highlighted the themes of growth and jobs, she also asked members to embrace democratic change of the party itself. Meanwhile behind the scenes, there's been frantic last-minute lobbing over the party's position on same-sex marriage.

Transcript

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EMILY BOURKE: The Prime Minister Julia Gillard has used the opening the 2011 Labor Party conference to appeal to her party's members to change the party's platform and modernise.

But the Prime Minister appealed to the 400 delegates to embrace democratic change of the party itself saying she wanted a "fair dinkum" debate.

Behind the scenes though frantic last minute lobbying is under way over the party's position on same-sex marriage.

But one minister has warned members not to let the issue hijack the conference. He says there are many other important issues the party should be debating.

Chief political correspondent Sabra Lane:

SABRA LANE: A short video clip highlighting Labor leaders past and present flashed up on a big screen to help open the party's 46th national conference.

(Extract from video)

(Music)

PAUL KEATING: Well Australia's a great democracy and one of the oldest democracies.

JULIA GILLARD: I mean, imagine it, a bunch of men standing under a tree and they say I know what, we'll create a political party and we'll start forming governments and kind of something amazingly audacious about it that they thought all of that was possible.

(End of extract)

SABRA LANE: Interestingly Greg Combet appeared in the snippet along with Julia Gillard and Bob Hawke. There was a passing reference to Kevin Rudd.

(Extract from video)

JULIA GILLARD: It was a privilege to sit there as Kevin Rudd delivered the apology to the Stolen Generations.

KEVIN RUDD: As prime minister of Australia I am sorry.

(End of extract)

SABRA LANE: At the start of her address the Prime Minister refined her welcome to country.

JULIA GILLARD: Here we acknowledge Australia's first people. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet. And I look forward to the great day when we will acknowledge them in Australia's Constitution as well.

(Applause)

SABRA LANE: Much of the Prime Minister's speech reprised themes from the last election campaign. But also Ms Gillard acknowledged the issue that's extracted the most political pain since the last election, the carbon tax.

JULIA GILLARD: After a debate lasting the best part of two, even three decades together this year we turned words into deeds and next year Australia will have a price on carbon.

(Applause)

SABRA LANE: Earlier this week the Government re-affirmed its promise to return the budget to surplus next year and Ms Gillard compared that pledge to major policy decisions stretching back decades saying that Labor governments had a long history of making hard decisions.

JULIA GILLARD: Chifley knew that in the industrial winter of 1949. Whitlam knew it when he ended the bitter debate over state aid. Hawke and Keating knew it every day they governed. And we know it now.

We showed it this week as we made the hard decisions to bring the budget back into the black. We will show it again this weekend as we make the hard decisions to prepare our nation for the future too.

SABRA LANE: At many points the audience applauded but not at that pledge. The Prime Minister's also put Tony Abbott on notice that WorkChoices will be revived again, she says, as an election issue.

JULIA GILLARD: Your Labor Government put WorkChoices in the grave where it belongs.

(Applause)

And only victory in 2013 will bury WorkChoices forever.

(Applause)

SABRA LANE: But this conference will debate party reform including selling uranium to India, asylum seeker policy and gay marriage.

The Attorney-General Robert McClelland's warned the gathering not to be too obsessed about equality in marriage.

ROBERT MCCLELLAND: There is no doubt that the community does not want us to be spending an inordinate amount of time on the issue of gay marriage. They see bread and butter issues, fair industrial relations, health care for their families, education for their kids unquestionably of being a greater priority. And we should, all delegates to this conference should bear that in mind.

SABRA LANE: Those pushing for equality in marriage are confident the party will adopt a change in its policy platform to recognise that all couples should have the right to marry.

But the party's right has been told it must vote as a bloc on this issue at the conference, insisting that if a bill comes before Parliament MPs be allowed a conscience vote which would mean on the current numbers in Parliament it wouldn't succeed.

ANDREW BARR: Oh well look the numbers I think are very clearly there on the platform. It's a question really of how the conscience vote issue will play out in the next few days.

SABRA LANE: At the last party conference under Kevin Rudd not one policy was contested on the floor.

JULIA GILLARD: Delegates, in these coming days I want us to have a fair dinkum Labor Party conference.

We didn't join Labor in our youth because we had no opinions. We didn't come here for a coronation or a campaign launch. We came here for debates. We came here for surprises. We came here to have votes.

SABRA LANE: Ms Gillard's appealed to the conference to back her call for so-called primary votes or community votes in some seats to choose candidates. She wants a massive boost to the party's online presence and more say for grass roots membership - watering down union influence, which earned her applause.

JULIA GILLARD: And offering new opportunities to participate in policy development through genuine forums which include parliamentary, union and directly elected representatives and above all...

(Applause)

SABRA LANE: Much of the contentious debate though will happen tomorrow and Sunday.